A variety of articles are known to traverse a mountain by gliding on snow. Such articles include, but are not limited to, skis, snow skates and snowboards. In the sport of snowboarding, several different types of bindings are utilized to secure a rider's boot, and hence foot, to the snowboard. A soft boot binding typically includes a plate which accepts a soft snowboard boot and two or three incrementally tightenable straps that extend from one side of the plate, over the vamp of the boot, to the other side of the plate, securing the boot to the board. A representative soft boot binding is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,170, which is assigned to the Burton Corporation. A plate binding having adjustable bails is traditionally used with a hard shell snowboard boot, with one bail securing the toe portion of the boot and the other bail securing the heel portion. A representative hard-shell boot binding is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,909, which is also assigned to the Burton Corporation.
Various modifications to soft and hard shell boot bindings have been proposed. In German Patent No. 0 680 775 a binding is described including a hard shell boot having a spring-mounted pin projecting from both sides of the heel which is received within corresponding side pieces of the binding. A cable runs up the back of the boot and is attached to the pin such that pulling on the cable pushes the spring-mounted pin in, thereby releasing the pin from the side pieces.
While prior art snowboard bindings have proven to be effective, there is continued development in the field to produce a varied assortment of bindings which will provide the rider with performance, comfort and convenience.